Building up a bike - things to look out for

[Sods_Laur]

What it says really.

Bought one of the new Planet X alloy framesets to replace my old but much loved bike that got damaged in a crash.

So far I've stripped the parts off the old frame, given them a good clean and what not and now I'm waiting for new cables and things to arrive so I can start rebuilding.

So.... what disasters have you experienced that I can (hopefully) avoid?

 

[Nathan AV]

Usual things to look for are to make sure the components fit, seat posts etc.
Brakes calipers have caught me out before, I switched some calipers over to find I needed long drop caliper brakes and had to wait whilst they arrived.

 

[Herzog]

Make sure you've the correct BB...

 

[boydj]

You need to check seat post, front mech and head set sizes - the tubes may be a different size from the old frame and may may not be compatible. Keep your old cable outers to give you rough sizes for your new cables you can use them to do an initial fit so you know if you need to go longer or shorter.

 

[jay clock]

My front brake fixing bolt was not long enough to go through and attach the nut. Bought a longer nut which fitted deeper in the rear recess

 

[Pikey]

I don't make enough brews when I'm building up bikes.

In all seriousness, put the kettle on, have a think, have a biscuit and take some time, don't rush the magic.

 

[Sods_Laur]

mmmm, haven't checked the seatpost. i'm pretty confident about the other stuff though. famous last words. to be honest i prefer to think of this as a learning experience - if i wanted a bike quickly i could have gone out and bought one, this is more of a personal challenge. I don't mind admitting my husband was deeply sceptical that this was a good idea so i am determined to prove him wrong

I have kept all the old cables - not because I could think of a use for them but for some reason I was very reluctant to throw them away. obviously some part of my brain was working!

 

[Nathan AV]

Coming up against challenges is a good thing. When its comes to putting together a bike I can do most the tasks myslef and tats only due to jumping in at the deep end, getting stuck and then asking/researching the correct answer. wih a bit of luck it will all fit together seamlessly.

 

[jay clock]

if you want to fit rubber buffers on the outer cables do it before not after you fit it all. Just saying

 

[Sods_Laur]

I expect some sort of disaster, something that hasn't even occurred to me that might be an issue.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

So.... what disasters have you experienced that I can (hopefully) avoid?

In addition to those mentioned above:

If you only bought a frame and need to reuse the old forks then worth checking comparative head tube lengths - in case the old steerer is too short, or you might need more spacers or steerer cut.

If the frames weren't designed for the same application/#speed you might find the distances between the rear dropouts i.e. suitable rear hub widths are different. Similarly for tyre clearance.

If the distance between centre of bb and rear axle is now longer you might not be able to reuse the old chain. If shorter you might need to shorten the chain.

 

[oldroadman]

mmmm, haven't checked the seatpost. i'm pretty confident about the other stuff though. famous last words. to be honest i prefer to think of this as a learning experience - if i wanted a bike quickly i could have gone out and bought one, this is more of a personal challenge. I don't mind admitting my husband was deeply sceptical that this was a good idea so i am determined to prove him wrong

I have kept all the old cables - not because I could think of a use for them but for some reason I was very reluctant to throw them away. obviously some part of my brain was working!

Chuck them out and replace. Small spend, potential big grief saving.

 

[Sods_Laur]

Chuck them out and replace. Small spend, potential big grief saving.

I have bought replacements, don't worry! in the grand scheme of things £20 for new cables is nothing.

 

[Sods_Laur]

In addition to those mentioned above:

If you only bought a frame and need to reuse the old forks then worth checking comparative head tube lengths - in case the old steerer is too short, or you might need more spacers or steerer cut.

If the frames weren't designed for the same application/#speed you might find the distances between the rear dropouts i.e. suitable rear hub widths are different. Similarly for tyre clearance.

If the distance between centre of bb and rear axle is now longer you might not be able to reuse the old chain. If shorter you might need to shorten the chain.

all good points! I do have new forks though, so at some point I might need to cut the steerer :s I've ordered a new chain, I was thinking it would probably need replacing soon before I had the crash anyway.

not even considered the distance between the rear dropouts! and i have to go out now or I might be tempted to check

Chuck them out and replace. Small spend, potential big grief saving.

I have bought new ones, don't worry. in a funky colour too

 

[Sods_Laur]

In addition to those mentioned above:

If you only bought a frame and need to reuse the old forks then worth checking comparative head tube lengths - in case the old steerer is too short, or you might need more spacers or steerer cut.

If the frames weren't designed for the same application/#speed you might find the distances between the rear dropouts i.e. suitable rear hub widths are different. Similarly for tyre clearance.

If the distance between centre of bb and rear axle is now longer you might not be able to reuse the old chain. If shorter you might need to shorten the chain.

all good points! I do have new forks though, so at some point I might need to cut the steerer :s I've ordered a new chain, I was thinking it would probably need replacing soon before I had the crash anyway.

not even considered the distance between the rear dropouts! and i have to go out now or I might be tempted to check

Chuck them out and replace. Small spend, potential big grief saving.

I have bought new ones, don't worry. in a funky colour too